Chapter 7
The regular academic conference was held.
Various people from all over the country gathered at the Magic Tower in Mars, the capital.
Representatives from large guilds that could sway the entire empire. High priests of major religious orders in the empire.
Journalists.
Technicians.
And so on.
Most of the upper-class figures curious about how magic would develop had flocked to the Magic Tower.
"High Priest! It's been a long time! Haha!"
"Guild Master Baikal, it's been a while too! Haha!"
People were leisurely exchanging greetings while enjoying various snacks, tea, and alcohol in the presentation hall.
And everyone gathered there was paying attention to the presenters of representative papers from each branch Magic Tower who had gathered from all over the empire.
Although it was said to be a place for exchanging greetings, it could be said that it was essentially a place to see who would be the next Tower Master or who would lead the development of magic.
"I heard you're the author of the representative paper from the Mars branch Magic Tower. Haha! Congratulations. It's always pleasant to see the emergence of outstanding intellect."
"Erpha! It's been a long time! I'm looking forward to your new representative paper."
Countless people, those who could be called the upper echelons of the empire, endlessly approached Erpha to request handshakes.
Even though Erpha had four arms, it was difficult for her to receive all those handshakes.
But she didn't feel bad.
Not at all.
I'm being recognized.
Everyone is looking at me.
They're reaching out their hands to me and showing interest in me.
Everyone is recognizing and accepting me, even though my own parents had vomited in disgust and abandoned me.
Erpha felt like she might cry.
And every time she felt that emotion, she strengthened the adhesion magic on the silver mask covering the left side of her face even more.
Absolutely.
It must absolutely not be discovered.
She thought.
The moment this hideous face inside was revealed.
Just imagining what results would come made her feel like her soul was crumbling.
She wanted to keep being recognized.
She didn't ask for much.
She just wanted normal human relationships.
She wanted to live mingling among people.
She didn't want to live alone again, being abandoned and hurt.
— I just thought the inside of that left face was seriously twisted and distorted, so you didn't want to reveal it and that's why you cover it.
Just yesterday.
The words Tudel suddenly came and threw at her like a knife kept ringing in her head.
Tudel.
The witch who had hated and envied her from the moment Erpha arrived at the Magic Tower.
What she might do.
She couldn't even dare to imagine.
Please let today pass without incident.
Erpha wished and prayed for that.
"We will now begin the 213th Regular Academic Conference! All attendees, please be seated!"
Finally, the conference began.
Numerous people took their seats.
And the authors of representative papers from each branch Magic Tower, including Erpha, moved to the back of the stage.
That was where they prepared for their presentations.
Erpha, like everyone else, went to her designated seat and began to organize the contents of her paper and refine what she would present.
Fortunately, Tudel was nowhere to be seen.
Although her anxiety hadn't subsided, Erpha was able to shake off her uneasiness with effort.
The adhesion magic on her mask was something she had devised herself.
It couldn't be easily removed.
Moreover, just in case, she had even physically attached the mask to her face with a small thread today.
Even if Tudel had bad intentions, she wouldn't be able to easily remove her mask.
Let's shake off unnecessary thoughts, Erpha.
She wouldn't be discovered.
No matter what happened, she wouldn't be discovered.
Erpha inwardly made that promise to herself and continued her presentation preparations.
***
The regular academic conference was filled with impressive research befitting its status.
Papers on new magic engines.
Papers on new healing potions.
Papers on methods to increase the flight speed of airships.
The applause in the conference hall grew louder, and the mages and witches who presented their representative papers left the stage with proud faces after finishing their presentations.
And finally.
"The representative paper from the Mars branch Magic Tower. The Three Primary Colors Research!"
It was Erpha's turn.
Erpha slowly ascended the stage.
She could feel the thunderous applause and tremendous gazes focusing on her.
Erpha took a deep breath.
She politely greeted and then slowly raised her research content in the form of a phantasm in the air using a vision stone and began her presentation.
The Three Primary Colors Research was about optimizing magic.
Research on how to activate larger magic with less mana.
As the explanation continued, the eyes of the many people listening to the presentation changed.
This was a revolution.
It was a practical study that could be applied diversely to all kinds of fields, while also being academically perfect in form.
Creativity, innovation, and potential for development.
It was a perfect study that didn't lack in any aspect.
"This concludes the presentation on the Three Primary Colors Research."
The moment Erpha's words echoed through the conference hall.
Everyone stood up and started applauding.
"Excellent! It's excellent!!"
"It was the most amazing research I've heard in recent times! Perfect! Erpha!"
Erpha looked at the faces of the people clapping for her.
Feeling choked up, Erpha had to quickly turn her gaze away.
She was recognized.
She had finally made the scene she always dreamed of a reality.
She would no longer be rejected.
She would no longer be persecuted and abused.
People would love her.
With that thought, Erpha tightly grasped her four trembling hands and quietly bowed her head.
"Thank you."
She wished this moment could last forever.
As Erpha bowed her head, the applause grew even louder.
Tudel was nowhere to be seen.
"It seems the next Tower Master has been decided."
Tower Master Yorgen's smiling words could be faintly heard even on the stage.
Could there be any greater happiness than this?
It was at that moment when Erpha was smiling and raising her waist.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Someone stood up from the audience seats and started walking towards Erpha, clapping loudly as if deliberately to be heard.
Tudel.
The smile disappeared from Erpha's face when she saw her.
Many people who had been clapping stopped and looked at Tudel, who was openly walking forward, breaking away from the crowd.
"It's an excellent paper! Outstanding achievement! Truly amazing," Tudel said with a smile, raising her voice.
"If only you weren't hiding an ugly truth."
Murmurs and commotion began to spread.
Confusion.
Bewilderment.
Displeasure.
Anger.
Tower Master Yorgen stood up, full of displeasure.
"Tudel. What are you doing?"
"I know I'm doing something against the rules. But there's a fact that must be revealed."
"Whatever fact you're trying to reveal. This behavior is unacceptable. Come back immediately..."
"Abomination!" Tudel shouted, cutting off Tower Master Yorgen's words.
Everyone froze at those words.
Especially the expressions of the priests from the White Order among the attending orders changed seriously.
"Witch Erpha is an abomination! Everyone! She has been deceiving us! A being said to bring misfortune and calamity has been hiding among us!!"
Tudel pointed at Erpha's silver mask with a triumphant smile.
"Inside that face! A hideous and disgusting face is hidden! She has been hiding it from us for over 10 years!"
"Is that true?"
The priests of the White Order couldn't hold back and stood up.
"We need to be certain! Have you seen it yourself?"
"Of course. A creepy face that seems to pollute the soul is hidden under that mask."
She had never seen it.
Of course.
Erpha never revealed the left side of her face.
She was known for wearing a mask obsessively when meeting people, even when sleeping.
Strictly speaking, what Tudel was doing now was no different from gambling.
If Erpha casually threw off the silver mask and revealed a normal face, she would suffer a considerable blow.
Even if a hideous appearance came out, if it wasn't terribly disgusting enough to make one vomit and was just an ordinary burn or something, she would be ruined once that mask was removed.
Only if there was something so creepy hidden underneath that everyone was shocked would she succeed.
And Tudel thought her chances of success were quite high.
Because she knew Erpha as well as she hated her.
Because she had consistently observed and studied her out of a desire to win.
So she could be confident.
"I swear on my honor and my position as a witch of the Magic Tower."
At her bold words, the priests of the White Order pushed through the people and walked forward.
Tower Master Yorgen and some elders of the Magic Tower who viewed Erpha favorably blocked them.
"This can't be! To investigate a witch or mage belonging to the Magic Tower, there must be proper permission! You can't act like this just based on a single accusation!"
In response to Tower Master Yorgen's fierce objection, a priest of the White Order raised his voice, "Then I formally request an investigation! If more than 70% of the mages and witches belonging to the Mars branch Magic Tower gather and more than half agree, an investigation can be conducted! Call the mages and witches right now!"
"Do you really have to go this far?"
"We must! An abomination is not something to be taken lightly!"
"Historically, most people reported as abominations were just rare disease patients! 9 out of 10 were like that!"
"And 1 out of 10 really did bring large-scale calamities!! Especially if it's a witch, not just any other being, who is an abomination, it's even more serious!! She could bring a calamity that could blow away the entire empire!! Start the vote immediately!!"
At the stern voice, Tower Master Yorgen realized there was no way to stop it.
"I'll gather the mages and witches of the Magic Tower..."
"There's no need for that! Tower Master. I've already called them."
Tudel clapped her hands as if she had been waiting for this moment and said that. On cue, several witches and mages who had been waiting outside the academic conference hall entered the room in a line.
"There are 75 mages from the Mars branch Magic Tower. This is more than 70% of the total staff, so we can vote. Right?"
At Tudel's words with a smiling face, Yorgen looked at her with a complicated expression.
But in the end, Yorgen had no choice but to step back.
"One of our Magic Tower's witches is suspected of being an abomination. As you all know, this was mostly an expression used by people from an era with little understanding of magic to refer to people who were simply rare disease patients. The White Order has formally requested permission to investigate Witch Erpha."
Yorgen slowly looked around at the mages and witches.
"Erpha is an excellent witch. She has never harmed anyone and has always walked the path of magic excellently and diligently. Her talent should continue to be used for humanity. That is my opinion."
Yorgen finally looked at Erpha, who was frozen and trembling on the stage.
"The White Order's request is absurd. Erpha will not be an abomination. That's what I think. I hope you all think the same."
After finishing his words, Yorgen took out a wand from his bosom and waved it in the air.
A giant scale revealed itself.
"Whether to grant the White Order's request or not. I will now put it to a vote."
Many mages and witches took out their wands and held them in their hands.
The light bursting from the tips of the wands slowly began to gather on the scale.
Erpha watched the scene with a tense expression.
Please.
She had tried to be kind to everyone until now.
No matter how she thought about it, she hadn't done anything to make the mages of the Magic Tower turn against her.
Not everyone would be like Tudel.
Not everyone would be consumed by jealousy and try to abandon her.
Erpha wanted to believe that.
"The voting has ended. I will now count the votes."
The scale slowly began to tilt.
Erpha just quietly watched the scale tilting.
A tear unknowingly flowed from her eye.
"Out of a total of 77 votes... 56 votes were cast as voted. The Mars Magic Tower branch accepts the White Order's request for investigation," Tower Master Yorgen declared weakly.
It was the moment when Erpha, who had been feeling like she was in heaven, fell into hell.